Potential
by Daring Dear
Summary: Northern Ireland grew up with England's tales of the Doctor. Late one December night, he lands in her front yard. She's finally meeting a childhood hero, but someones not quite as pleased to see him. Genderbent!UK; No Pairings. T for language.


Ok, I do not own Doctor Who, or Hetalia. Hetalia characters are genderbent. This is how Northern Ireland meets the Doctor. Just sort of a one shot thingy I wrote after watching a lot of Doctor Who after Anime Club. I may continue from here, I don't know.

Northern Ireland = Aine Ita Ulsters-Kirkland; England = Alice Kirkland; America = Amelia Jones; Scotland = Glenna McNamara; Wales = Delwyn Cardock

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><p>A low grown escaped cider scented lips, echoing through an empty den as the young woman signed her name once more. <em>Northern Ireland; Aine Ita Ulsters-Kirkland. <em>It was about the twentieth time she'd scrawled her name, and it was far from the last. Christmas cards, her least favorite task of the holidays. She barely knew most of these people, anyway. Most were fellow nations she was supposed to keep decent relations with, others were important figures from said nations. It was so irritating that she had to waste her time with this, when Aine was perfectly capable of it. She was the one concerned about all this political crap after all. Groaning again, she tossed her head back, staring at the wall behind the couch she was perched on. A decorated mirror reflected her face, long orange hair casually messy, green-blue eyes burning with annoyance, pale skin slightly flushed from the large amount of alcoholic beverages she'd consumed that night.

Grunting in frustration, she sat up again and glared at the cards still on her lap and piled next to her on the couch cushion, all still unsigned, as if her boredom was their fault. It was far too silent in the cozy three story home, only the ticking of the grandfather clock and the occasional night cry of a bird could be heard. Normally, her three older sisters would be running about, the representations of England, Scotland, and Wales. However, they had each had their own things to attend to tonight, leaving Aine, the youngest of the UK, home alone. Unwilling to pick up another of those damned cards, she busied herself studying the familiar orange and gray plaid pattern on her night clothes. She began counting the little gray squares, focusing all her attention on the task.

_Seventeen…eighteen...nineteen…twenty…twenty-one…what was that? _Aine blinked, straining her ears to hear more clearly. It sounded like…some sort of engine, maybe? It was a whirring, strange sound, growing steadily louder. Louder…but not closer. It seemed to be close, in her front yard even. The whirring ended with a sudden crash, the violent sound startling Aine off the couch. She hated loud noises! Cards and envelopes flew up around her, floating to the floor. Paying the mess little mind, Aine hopped to her feet and dashed to the door, slipping on a pair of fuzzy orange slippers in the process. She snatched her jacket off the coat rack by the door, bearing her once recognized flag, slipping it on one arm at a time as she stumbled out into the cold. She shivered instantly, tugging the jacket tighter around her as she searched for the source of the noise. It didn't take her long to find it.

A large, blue Police Box stood in her doorway, crushed wooden fence beneath it. A Police Box? She remembered England used to have those, but how had one ended up here, on the fence? Perhaps she'd had a bit too much cider. That was only a passing thought, though, Aine was always drinking, she rarely got drunk. Whatever this thing was, she wasn't imagining it. Slowly, she edged her way closer to the strange box, watching it cautiously. The door flew open, and she took an instinctive step back, narrowing her eyes at the tall figure stumbling from the opening. It was a man, tall and dark haired with a long trench coat.

"Hello there! Ooh, bit chilly, isn't it? Must be December. I should really try to land in warmer months, I'm not one for the cold." The strange man rattled on, a wide, sincere smile plastered across his face.

Aine thought instantly of her sister's past colony, that Amelia girl. America, such a loud nation. Completely at a loss, and a bit irritated, she gaped at the man for a moment before she spoke.

"Who the hell are you, and why did you crash-land a police box in my yard?" she demanded, imagining what her sisters would have to say when they saw this.

"Your yard? Oh, dear, isn't this England's place? That's what I was aiming for. Sorry about the fence, I'll fix it if you like." The man apologized, stepping back to place his hand on the doorframe of his box.

"England?" Aine said, rather shocked this man knew about the nations, "You know Alice?"

"Ah, yes! Alice Kirkland, her name is. You know her then?" the man asked, looking quite excited as he looked her over, probably wondering what nation she might be.

"Alice is my older sister. I'm Aine. Northern Ireland. Are you a friend of hers?" Aine asked, eyeing the man doubtfully. She had a hard time seeing her sister befriending a man like this.

"Of course! Where are my manners? I'm the Doctor. No other name, just the Doctor. Lovely to meet you Aine, Miss Northern Ireland." He said cheerfully, snapping the box behind him shut as he sauntered over, holding out his hand.

"The Doctor? Oh! Of course, I've heard of you. Then that must be the TARDIS." Aine said, relieved to know who this man was, and that he was no harm…to her at least, as she shook his hand, "Well, Alice is gone, but why don't you come in and have some tea or cider? Its bloody cold out here."

"I think I will, thanks. Nothing like a good spot of tea, aye?" the Doctor said as he followed her into the house, smiling widely, "Its nice to finally meet you."

"Finally meet me? Shouldn't that be my line? What's so exciting about me?" Aine asked, tossing her jacket back onto the coat hanger as she dashed into the kitchen.

"Well, you're ginger for one, I've been waiting years, and I mean _years_ to be ginger. But, what I meant was Alice has told me a lot about you." The Doctor supplied, wandering around the den and staring at the photos and objects lining the walls.

"Talks about me, does she? Huh, I can hear it now, bitching about my drinking or irresponsibility." Aine scoffed, heating up the kettle as she spoke.

"No, no, nothing bad. She just brings you up a lot. Something will remind her of you, or she'll threaten someone she thinks is bothering you." He called back, pausing to stare at a perfect little ship in a bottle. It reminded him of the time he'd gotten swept up in a battle of pirates and some sort of Company in the Caribbean.

"Oh…"Aine said, genuinely surprised and unsure of what to say. She had been sure Alice would be complaining about her, given her usual nature. Kimiko had called it something once, tsundere, whatever that really meant. Oh well, it didn't matter, probably some silly word from her anime obsession. Standing on the tips of her toes, she reached out and pulled a teacup from the cupboard. The Doctor strolled in as she filled the cup, gladly taking it as she offered it.

"So Mr. Doctor," Aine said, pulling herself onto the kitchen counter and swinging her legs, "Where were you causing trouble before you wrecked my fence?"

"I did apologize for that." He said, sipping the tea slowly as he stuffed one hand in his pocket and slumped against the wall, "Oh, I was in America. Deserts of Arizona, actually, boiling heat. You know you can actually cook an egg on the sidewalk, and bake cookies in a car? I know, I've done it. I was chasing these nasty little things called Sterrons. Little tiny aliens with claws and long tails. They run across the sand like lizards, really fast buggers. They like to tear up anything electric and have a nasty habit of burrowing into people's bodies to lay eggs."

"…there aren't any of these Sterrons in the UK, are there?" Aine asked, face contorting into disgust at the idea of an alien killing her by clawing a nest into her guts. Ew.

"Not that I'm aware of. Very uncommon on Earth, your weather is too harsh for them. Changes far too much." The Doctor answered.

"How'd you stop them, then?" Aine asked, urging him to go on with his tale, "Tell all."

The Doctor smiled, noting the curiosity dancing in her eyes. One thing he loved about humans was their curiosity. It knew no bounds! And, having begun traveling alone once more, he was itching to share his tale. "Well, I had to follow them out into the desert. Couldn't pinpoint their nest otherwise. There was a young woman, an aspiring archeologist, and her younger brother, smart lad, only thirteen or so, and an older gentleman they called Old Ace, and his employee, another young woman. We followed these few Sterron back to their nest, where they were taking the people they were killing. Terrible place, horrendous smell. Sterron nests always stink. We had to sneak in, get to where the queen was. We got caught though, chased around by them, waving their poisonous barbs at us, quite a few close calls before we made it to the queen. Tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't have any of it. Then Kasey—she was the employee I mentioned—threw herself in the way of the stinger, it was heading right for Freddie, the little brother, and she saved him. I couldn't leave the nest, I really had no choice, I used my sonic screwdriver to reverse the electric signals connecting the queen to her little Sterron subjects."

Aine listened, nodding slowly as he spoke quickly, trying to cling to every word he said. His fast pace was hard to keep up with, but then, she had been around plenty of children in her time, and they tended to rush on in the same excited way. And why wouldn't he be excited? Honestly, she'd always wanted to meet this man, ever since she was a child. Alice would tell the most wonderful stories, and during that time before Eireann had left, when the fighting had been so truly awful, those stories had been an escape for her. She'd curl up and close her eyes and just imagine being in another space, another time, exploring all the worlds and times and beings. And now here he was, this odd man telling her a wild story about aliens in Arizona. She wondered if Amelia knew about this.

"That's…incredible…sad, but incredible." She said, awe in her voice as she spoke. Not wanting to give away just how exited she was to meet him, she lifted her cider to her lips and casually sipped it, trying to calm herself down. It wasn't as if she'd get to travel the stars just because she'd met the man. As a nation, she had a responsibility to her own time and place. Besides, Alice would never allow something like that, and the Doctor had no reason to take her.

"You know, I hear you're kind of brilliant." The Doctor said suddenly, hopefully. He sensed potential from this woman, who had lived so many years, despite her young face. If half of what Alice muttered when she was tipsy was true, then he was certainly right.

"Brilliant?" Aine said, startled by the statement, "No, no, not me. Well, mechanical things. I'm real good with those, and software too. But I wouldn't say brilliant…"

"I'm sure you're being modest. I visited Northern Ireland during the war, you know. A lot of factories." He said, encouraging her to consider it more.

"Oh, those? Those are nothing special. Everything was about weapons then. I hate guns." Aine said quickly, not bothering to ask which war he was referring to, and missing the way the Doctor's smile widened at the words, "If you want to insist, I suppose I am fairly intelligent when it comes to those things. Its just the way I am."

"Fantastic." He said brightly, lifting his teacup to his lips.

He didn't elaborate on what was so fantastic, and just as she was about to ask, the door flew open with a loud bang, and a very familiar English voice shouted curses at the air.

"You bloody wanker! I know you're in here somewhere! What in God's name have you done to my fence?"

"Good luck with that, lad." Aine giggled, leaning back to rest her head on the cupboard.

"Oh, I've done far worse. She'll get over it." The Doctor said fearlessly as he strolled off to the den to greet the outraged nation. Before he left, though, he called casually over his shoulder, "Though, she may not get over what I intend to do eventually. Really overprotective, she is, but travelling is worth the risk of pissing her off."

Aine blinked, staring after the Doctor as her legs fell limp against the counter. What he intended to do? What did he intend to do? And why would traveling piss off her sister? And why did he ask about how brilliant she was? She crushed the spark of hope the second it sprang to life. She'd been let down enough in her life, there was no need to set herself up for more disappointment. Still, she couldn't help but wonder…

"_How many bloody times have I told you to stay the hell out of my country during Christmas?"_

"_Six hun—"_

"_Don't give me numbers, you git! Get out!"_

"_Aren't you even going to say hi, Allie?"_

"_DON'T CALL ME—"_

Aine laughed, hopping off the counter and dancing to the fridge to grab another cider. Alice and the Doctor would be at it for awhile, she was sure, and it would only get worse when Delwyn and Glenna returned. Slipping through the hallway, she fled to her room, where she would be shielded from a majority of the shouting. Plopping onto her bed gracelessly, she turned her head and stared out her window, the curtains drawn to reveal the sky. It was a remarkably clear night, you could see each star shining brightly against the dark sky, the nearly full moon reflecting its light on the earth. The Doctor had been there, flying among those stars. Someday she'd see them for herself, too. It was something she'd resolved to do as a child, a desire she'd never let go of. Smiling and closing her eyes, she drifted quickly to sleep, unaware of the turn in conversation below.

"_Are you mad? You can't take her on one of your damn trips! She's too young!"_

"_She's not a child, Alice. You can't keep treating her like one, you know that."_

"_She's my baby sister, I can treat her any damn way I please and you are not taking her into space!"_

"_Through time then. To someplace she's never seen. She deserves it, Alice. She longs for it. She'll go crazy if she stays here her whole life. She's got an adventurous, free spirit, just like—"_

"_Don't say it! Don't you say it! I wont discuss this any longer!"_

"_Because you know I'm right."_

"…_damn you, Doctor. Damn you to hell."_

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><p>Please, I'd love if you commented! Alice and the Doctor are friends, really, its just...well, all the trouble the Doctor is involved in, and suggesting Aine travel with him in space...the idea of her baby sister traveling with him, knowing the kind of things he does, Alice kind of loses it. Understandable.<p> 


End file.
